Darksider Rebel
by Future Sith'ari
Summary: There's more than two Sith out there, and the Lost Tribe are not too fond of the Rule of Two. Any opportunity to keep Sidious and his armada from wiping them out is welcome, even sending one of their own to fight with the Rebellion.


**Opening Notes: A friend came up with this. And I'm not one to say no to my friends.**

* * *

Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi Padawan, now covert Rebel informant, gripped the hilt of one of her twin Lightsabers as she exited her personal vessel. Even from orbit, the Force practically screamed to her about the potent Dark Side presence. Yet, whoever had called out to her through the metaphysical gave off an air of not malcontent, but desperation.

Nevertheless, the aura about it all reminded her of that misadventure on Mortis some years ago. She was fully aware that The Son was dead and gone, yet fear seeped into her like a cracked hull. Steeling herself, she continued on, feeling this mysterious host of her continuing to call out to her.

_There you are. I am not far. I simply wish to talk. If I wanted you dead, the Force would have claimed you the moment you landed._

The would-have-been Jedi fought back a scoff. At least they were honest. Night had recently fallen over the terrain, but she could still see just fine. This planet was not like other Dark Side occupied planets. It was still lush with life and nature. But that lingering was still there, like a serpent coiling up. She reached out with the Force... and there it was, the one who had beckoned her. They weren't too far away. The forrest around her was not too thick, thus navigation was easy. A few mere moments after she lost sight of her ship, she smelled smoke. Had the foliage caught fire? Her eyes darted upward and about, thinking for a brief moment that whoever had called out to her had wanted merely to engulf her in a blaze.

Alas, only a small plume of smoke was rising above the treetops. And it was not that far ahead of her. Her vision returned to the path before her. Beyond an archway of tre limbs was... someone staring into the flames. They were sitting before a small fire, their body dressed in all in black. Sleeved tunic, trousers, and boots. A quick glance to the hands and waist told Ahsoka that their left had no weapons, though she would have to get closer for the other half.

"I have no weapons." The voice revealed she was about to make the company of a male. "Do come closer. You'll find there's only one other being around us."

Having no reason to trust this odd stranger, the Togruta again reached with the Force, and found it to be true. Only one other sentient being was roaming around in the thicket, and whoever they were, they clearly cared not for whatever was going on between the other two.

"Are you Sith?" Ahsoka wasted no time in getting the the point. He was obviously Force sensitive. A quick glanced proved he was being honest about being unarmed.

He looked at her, revealing his Human face and yellow-orange irises. "Yes. But not in the way you know." The first word was more than enough for Ahsoka to draw and activate both her sabers. He seemed unfazed. "Going to strike me down before we even reach introductions? Are all _Jidai_ completely righteous?"

That make Ahsoka falter. Did he know who she was, what she had been through? Had news of that faux pas of a trial reached even this wild planet? "What do you mean?" She remained vague.

"The galaxy is not black and white, my Togruta acquaintance. Is every Twi'lek a slave? Every Mandalorian a warmonger? Every Zygerrian a trafficker?"

His examples hardly justified what **he **was. "Your point remains unmade, Sith."

"I did not choose to be what I am. I was born _Tsis. _But I am not affiliated with Vader or his or his Inquisitorius. Feel free to prove my thoughts. I'll let my so-called guard down for you."

Ahsoka checked to make sure the other stranger was still preoccupied with... whatever it was they were doing before taking up the unusual offer. Keeping her grip on the hilt, she spread her index and middle finger towards her host, who had returned to looking at the flame.

He could feel her rummaging around the corridors of his conscious. "You think me a _Siqsa _just because I am of the _Tsis. _What of Gravid? Or Visas Marr?"

He remained silent until the woman he had beckoned finished gathering whatever she wanted from him.

Ahsoka kept her sabers ignited. "Just because you don't intend to kill me doesn't mean I'll let my own guard down."

"Very well. Perhaps I should explain just _why _I brought you here, force-wielder."

"You brought nothing. You reached out and asked. I came of my own volition."

"Alright. I'll stop trying so hard. The Tribe I belong to is never going to be all that welcoming of my son."

"Son?" Ahsoka echoed. She had only dug deep enough to find out his intentions towards her at the moment. All she knew is that he wanted her to take something from him, from the planet.

"Yes. My Tribe holds physical perfection in high regard."

That made Ahoska think back to a few Senators back during the Clone Wars. "And just where is this Tribe?"

He pointed upwards, towards the stars. "In the system. I had to be somewhere alone. They would hardly approve of what I am about to ask of you."

"Am I safe to surmise the other one around here is this son?"

"Correct. He'll never amount to anything in the Tribe. And once the Emperor's forces reach this system, my kin will gladly hand him off for their own temporary sanctuary."

She could not help but ask, "why would the Empire want him?"

"Do they not still hunt down those who can tap into the Force?"

The question brought about another less than pleasant memory; chasing Cade Bane as he abducted newborn Force Sensitives. "I'm not exactly sure."

"Well, I'd rather not take that chance. I know of the Jedi Purge. It took attention away from the Tribe. But it made it rather obvious that Emperor Palpatine does not tolerate any Force Users."

Ahsoka was beginning to piece together just what it was this Sith wanted. "You think your Tribe will put your child on the front lines."

"Or simply right in front of the blaster fire. Do you understand? Deliver him from this fate."

"Why do you not run away with him?"

He blinked with thought... "Are you familiar with Sith Sorcery?"

"... Not exactly."

"My caste specializes in it. If I were to vanish, the High Lord will send Warriors to hunt me down and either drag me back or kill me for insubordination. But if my son alone vanishes, the Circle would hardly care."

High Lord? Circle? Ahsoka did not know what these were but context seemed to be that they led this Tribe.

"Your silence speaks volumes, Togruta. _**Ragnar!"**_

Ahsoka stepped back, alarmed by his sudden shouting. Force Scream, maybe? However, the fast approaching put that theory to rest. His son came running out of the thicket to join them in the illumination from the fires.

"Salutations!" The boy, who, she had to guess, was roughly seventeen years old, was like his father. Human, fair skinned, but gangly, almost too thin. His eyes were yellow-orange as well. However, Ahsoka immediately understood why he was a cause of concern for his father. If this Tribe truly did place flawless beauty on such a high pedestal, this boy was left in the dirt. A burn scar made most of his left forearm shiny and red. A deep, permanent laceration was etched into his flesh, running from the underside of his jaw, up past his right ear, and going into his wild black hair. Who knew what else had been slashed, burned, or broken on him beneath his tunic and pants. "You look... interesting."

Had he never seen anything except other Humans before now?

His father spoke again. "Ragnar. This woman is going to make your dream come true, hopefully."

...

He watched as the craft ascended out of the atmosphere and into the stars. "Goodbye, Ragnar, make us proud."

A slithery, breathy voice spoke from the trees. "Oh, he will." A dangerous looking Human woman wearing a purple and grey cloak lumbered out of the trees and stood next to the fire. "Bane's legacy will finally be extinct, and Lord Nadd's vision will come to fruition."

* * *

_**Many months later...**_

"So what's in these, Mistress?" Ragnar asked quizzically as he pushed the last of the supply crates out onto the landing strip. He got no answer. "Mistress?" He looked over his shoulder to find he was alone; his trainer/guardian was still onboard the craft. He shrugged and took in the surroundings, what little there were. Above them were thousands of what he assumed to be asteroids, and on the ground, red canisters and broken down ships from the Clone Wars. Finally, a massive darkened hangar with the shutters closed halfway. The place was as dead as Lord Nadd. "What fun." He grew bored, which did not take much. He folded his arms and rapped his fingers on his bicep. His boot repeatedly tapped the runway.

He exhaled and sat on one of the crates.

Inside the ship, Ahsoka activated a comlink. She knew that the modifications would disguise her voice on the receiving end. She did trust Hera and her crew, but the Empire was getting better at communication interception. Phantom, this is Fulcrum. Come in."

Hera's response came instantly. _"This is Spectre-2, Fulcrum."_

"Already at the rendezvous, Spectre-2. Supplies are unloaded and ready. Should I wait?"

Her comm emitted a voice that most certainly did not belong to Cham Syndulla's daughter. And it was dropping with sarcasm. _"Yeah, stick around. Spectre-2 and I would love to talk to you."_

Ahsoka pondered for the briefest of moments. Had they been compromised? "Spectre-2. What's the problem?"

_"No problem, Fulcrum," _Hera assured. _"Spectre-5 decided to help with the supply run."_

Spectre-5. One of the Ghost's crew. Alright then. "Understood. Fulcrum out." She disconnected the comm and walked out onto the runway. There was her student, already losing his ability to stand still. He had grown taller, but that was about it. He was still considerably wiry. The only other noticable difference was that he had consented to slick his hair back. "Well, Ragnar. Looks like we're going to wait for our comrades."

Her student tilted his head back and let out a noise that somehow managed to be both a groan and a scream. She smiled. Patience was something he struggled learning, but not from lack of trying. Being raised Sith and all.

He let out a long breath and returned his neck to a normal position. Glancing around, he asked, "what is this place?"

"Fort Anaxes. It was a stronghold for the Rupublic during the Clone Wars. And obviously, it's now abandoned."

"Clone Wars." Ragnar always spoke those two words with a sense of intrigue. Despite his wanting attention span, he always gave his undivided attention whenever she told him stories about those days of her life. Was it a love of history? Or of the violence? "If the Empire hadn't come along, who would have won?"

Ahsoka needed a moment. She often asked herself that exact same question. And the answer had never been clear. "I'm... not sure."

Ragnar nodded. He rarely questioned anything his Mistress said. Or did. A massive shadow passed over them. Both looked up and found one of the countless asteroids was blocking the sun.

"You sure these... Spectres can get through that belt?" Ragnar pondered aloud.

"You'd be surprised."

"Mmm. Any idea when they're supposed to **get **here?"

"No, that didn't come up."

He would have complained, but something caught both his and Ahsoka's ears. The shadow from the asteroid had moved away from them and made its way over to the hangar entrance, where something was growling at them.

"I thought you said this place was abandoned."

"It is. Or at least, it's supposed to be." Sensing that things were about to go south, Ahsoka gripped her saber hilts. Ragnar would have done the same... if he had hilts to grab. The Sith Tribesman lacked a Lightsaber, as kyber crystals were not exactly easy to find, even on the black market. And planets that had them naturally were heavily occupied with Imperials. And truth be told, she was secretly happy about that. If Ragnar had a Lightsaber, he would almost certainly wind up slicing their ship open or losing fingers.

Another, considerably larger chunk of the former planet passed between the landing zone and the sun, covering the runway entirely. The growling grew louder, and now it was accompanied by scraping. Claws on metal. Not good. Out of the hangar, multiple sets of eyes lit up from the dark. Ahsoka was reminded of the coloration Ragnar's own optical organs turned when he tapped into his familial power.

"I'm guessing they aren't friendly." Ragnar flexed his fingers.

"You're more than likely right on that." Ahsoka activated her Lightsabers. The locals came out of the hangar. Whatever they were, they were large, leathery creatures with teeth sharper than a Karkarodon.

Ahsoka readied herself, bending her knees and calming her breath.

Ragnar, on the other hand...

"C'mon! Show me what you got!" He cackled, spreading his arms out to the sides. The creatures apparently took his invitation, and charged. He smiled so wide, his teeth were exposed. He drew an arm back... and thrusted it forward, his fingertips gnarled to all be pointing forward. Out from just under his nails came what some would consider an abomination of the Force. Lightning, blue and white and purple, sprang out of his flesh, writhing as if it were agony incarnate. It encompassed one of the lethal animals, making it cry out as it was flung back. "Aaahhh ha ha ha! Meet your doom, fool!"

Ahsoka hated it when he got like this. They really needed to work on that, assuming they managed to get off Anaxes. In fact, they had to work on many things.

Finished with the first, he aiming his lightning at one of the other several other attacking creatures. However, to his shock (no pun intended), the first one got up almost as soon as he had finished making it hurt. That was, to understate, unexpected. Usually, when he barraged Stormtroopers, they tended not to get up. At least, not before he and Ahsoka left. "This just got interesting."

The horde was getting closer and closer. Ahsoka readied herself for a fight.. but then came the whimpering. Their predatory snarling went away and they scurried in the opposite direction.

Ragnar laughed. "Come back! So I can zap you again!"

_Why are they retreating? _Ahsoka did not know these creatures, but they certainly had a pack mentality. Ragnar had made more than one hurt, but that had not stopped them. So what had? They all went back to the hangar... were they smart enough to form a choke point and fort? "I don't think waiting around for the Spectres is a good idea anymore."

"But this was just getting fun!" Ragnar brought a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from...

The light.

Ahsoka looked around. The runway was no longer covered by the asteroid's shadow. The only remaining darkness was the hangar. She looked up towards the chunks of the planet. Too many opportunities for the sun to be blocked out. And who knew just how many more of those carnivores were waiting for that chance? "Ragnar, back to the ship."

* * *

**Closing Notes: Believe it or not, Ragnar's name came to me in the form of a somewhat convoluted portmanteau of Marka Ragnos and Exar Kun. It was not much later that a different friend pointed out this was the name of the historical leader from _Vikings. _Bit of a hilarious coincidence, right there.**

**His origin was different too. Initially, he was going to be one of the children kidnapped and subjected to the slaving procedures.**


End file.
